Mets manager Terry Collins not crazy about 40-man rosters in September

Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-LedgerMets manager Terry Collins thinks the game changes too much when teams expand their rosters in September.

MIAMI — With September comes the expansion of rosters in baseball. All big-league clubs can now carry 40 players after five months spent with only 25 available at one time.

Consider Mets manager Terry Collins in favor of altering the game’s rules to prevent a distortion of play during pennant races.

“I’d like to see some changes,” Collins said before Saturday’s 5-3 win over the Marlins. “I don’t know how you do it, whether you limit the roster to 30, predetermined, so the other team can counteract it. Still, it’s just a different game in September.”

The difference is simple: A team can now load its bullpen and bench with a seemingly unlimited stockpile of niche parts. The games can get longer. The complexion of a team can change. Collins still recalls how in 1991, while assisting the Pittsburgh Pirates in September, he saw the St. Louis Cardinals suddenly stacked with left-handed pitching.

A more recent example occurred last season, also in St. Louis.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa emptied his roster during a three-game series last September. La Russa used 22 Cardinals in the first game, and 20 in the next. At the time, Collins fumed about the situation. A year later, he praised his managing counterpart for his craftiness.

“I thought Tony last year, through the month of September, used his call-ups to perfection,” Collins said.

Only two new players joined the Mets Saturday. One was backup catcher Mike Nickeas, a familiar face. The other was infielder Zach Lutz. He plays both first base and third base and he’ll see occasional time as a pinch hitter.

Other players are expected to arrive this week. Collin McHugh starts Monday in St. Louis. Then a few more pitchers, like Jenrry Mejia, Jeurys Familia and Elvin Ramirez, should be on the way, in addition to others from Triple-A Buffalo.

“I think it’s great for the players to get their chance,” Collins said. “That’s the best part about asking your minor-league players to have big years, so they can get a September call-up. It does change the game. It changes the way it’s played.”

• First baseman Ike Davis has revived his season after an awful first few months. He hit his 25th homer Friday night. But his evolution as a hitter is far from complete, Collins said.

“We need to get him going against left-handers,” Collins said. “Because if he starts doing damage against left-handed pitching, it’ll change the whole dynamic of your lineup.”

Davis entered Saturday night’s game — against lefties — with just a .196 on-base percentage and a .541 on-base plus slugging percentage. He hit 18 of his homers against right-handers.
The team wants him to keep his back straighter at the plate, which helps him see the ball against southpaws.